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CHEMISTRY LEVEL 3


1. GAS LAWS
2. THE MOLE: Formulae and Chemical Equations
3. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 1
4. NITROGEN AND ITS COMPOUNDS
5. SULPHUR AND ITS COMPOUNDS
6. CHLORINE AND ITS COMPOUNDS
7. A guide to chemical tests based on this module
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Nitrogen and its Compounds: Extraction of nitrogen from air

4.0 Nitrogen and its Compounds


nitrogen and its compounds,high school chemistry

4.1 Extraction of nitrogen from air

Normally, substances used in industrial manufacture are extracted from their most abundant sources. For nitrogen, the abundant source is the atmosphere, where it makes up 78% and weighs over 4 trillion tons. It is therefore extracted by fractional distillation of liquefied air (Figure 4.1), as in the extraction of petroleum fuels from crude oil.


Fractional distillation of liquefied air,nitrogen and its compounds,high school chemistry

Figure 4.1: Fractional distillation of liquefied air (ANIM)


(courtesy Youtube-Preparation of Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) or Dinitrogen monoxide by Shiva Chemist)


(courtesy Youtube-Chemical properties of Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) by Shiva Chemist)


Questions 4.1

  1. First, we need a Chamber, A, to set air flowing continuously from the atmosphere into Chamber B and further into the distillation column. Name the device, Chamber A.
  2. Atmospheric air contains dust, water vapour, and carbon (IV) oxide which must be removed. How can dust be removed? Suggest a name for Chamber B.
  3. When compressed and cooled a little below room temperature, water vapour readily condenses, while carbon (IV) oxide turns to solid (undergoes deposition) at -78.5 oC on further cooling. (a) What is the function of Chamber C? (b) Name the substances tapped from Chamber C and D respectively. (c) Suggest one use of the by-product obtained from Chamber D.
  4. Explain why, although sodium hydroxide solution absorbs carbon (IV) oxide gas, it is not suitable for removing the gas in this process.
  5. Name the process that takes place in Chamber E.
  6. During distillation, liquid air is allowed to evaporate and distill as fractions. Identify one way in which this process is (a) similar to distillation of crude oil (b) differs from the distillation of crude oil.
  7. Suggest a reason why air should be liquefied before its components are separated.
  8. An air distillation plant is considered as an economical and profitable investment. Suggest two reasons for this.

Answers to Questions 4.1